Today, Nov 14, sees the release of This Time by Australia's most respected guitar duo, the Grigoryan Brothers. This, their 6th duo release, highlights the brothers' astounding skills which are at the core of the critical acclaim they have achieved in Australia and on the international stage.
This Time continues the journey the Grigoryan Brothers started with their 2009 release Distance, in that the repertoire and playing cannot be pigeonholed - how else can it be explained that
Distance was reviewed as a 'world-music' and 'classical' release while being named by UK magazine Mojo as no. 2 in the top 10 'jazz' cds of 2010?
Slava and Leonard have a deep appreciation and understanding of a broad spectrum of musical styles. This has resulted in many collaborations involving both written and improvised music. Combine this with their classical training and the result is a unique sound incorporating all these influences. It is not classical, not jazz, not world....it is the Grigoryan Brothers.
This Time was recorded in June 2014 in the iconic RainbowStudio by Jan Erik Kongshaug, who was responsible for many of the legendary recordings on the highly respected ECM label. The clarity and presence of the recording is simply astounding.
The music for this project was written by a number of Sava and Leonard's friends from around the world. While these composers have disparate styles, it is the execution of the works by the Grigoryan Brothers which creates a cohesive and unifying outcome.
This Time is a masterfully recorded album, with works by internationally acclaimed composers who have entrusted their creations into the worthy and welcoming hands of Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.
Mosstrooper Peak is by acclaimed Australian composer Nigel Westlake. Each movement of the piece is based on a different setting in the Great
Barrier Reef where the Westlake family erected shrines to their son who was tragically taken from them in 2008.
This Time and
After Dark are Leonard Grigoryan's contributions to the album. Leonard has the uncanny ability to write music which on first listening sounds familiar, yet paradoxically is not like anything you have heard before.
Longplay, by close friend and collaborator Luke Howard, is a minimalist piece including percussion, piano and synthesised drone. It sees Slava and Leonard in a call and answer scenario where one begins the phrase and the other responds, at times overlapping but never interfering or disrupting the flow of conversation.
Duende and Sarabande are legendary performer and composer Ralph Towner's (USA) two offerings. Ralph is a friend and hero of the Grigoryan Brothers and a collaborator with Slava (in their renowned trio with Wolfgang Muthspiel).
Two Swings In The Heart Shaped Garden by Melbourne-based composer Shaun Rigney is his achingly beautiful work based on a Play-Doh tableau in the shape of a heart created by his young daughter. Shaun has also played a significant role as producer of the This Time as well as the Grigoryan Brothers previous CDs.
Incantation No 2 by UK composer William Lovelady, a haunting meditation originally written for Slava, has been rearranged by the composer for both brothers.
Wave Radiance by Phillip Houghton who is one of Australia's most influential classical guitar composers: Houghton describes this work as a "sonic event". With no melody to speak of, it is equally eloquent in its exploration of exterior and interior space.
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